The Manzanita Experience
No Two Projects Demand the Same Expertise
The people chosen to build a project shape it as much as the drawings do. Here is how we think about that choice, and what to ask any builder about it.
Service and access
We think about the experience of a Manzanita project through two ideas: service and access. Service means listening, clear expectations, regular communication, personal involvement and accountability. Access refers to the network of specialty craftsmen, consultants and other professionals Christopher has developed through his years in construction.
The first idea is the one a homeowner feels every week. The second is easy to miss from the outside, because a homeowner usually meets the builder long before meeting the people whose hands will shape the plaster, the millwork, the windows or the stone. Yet those people contribute a great deal to how the finished home looks, works and ages.
Skill is not the same as fit
Not every skilled contractor is suited to every project. A finish carpenter who builds crisp contemporary cabinetry may approach an original window casing very differently from one who has spent years matching older profiles. A tile setter accustomed to a production schedule may approach a shower designed around continuous material differently from a specialist in that work. Relevant experience matters alongside general skill.
That is why we select specialty craftsmen for their experience, their technical capabilities and their understanding of each project's distinct architectural and construction requirements. The question is never only “who is available” or “who is good,” but “who understands what this design is asking for.”
Where the choice is made
The choice starts before construction. During pre-construction we coordinate with architects, designers, consultants and our network of specialty craftsmen to develop the scope, evaluate costs and establish a schedule. Bringing the right people into the discussion at that stage allows details that depend on their craft to be considered before work begins.
Once planning is in place, we bring the right people together to execute the work and oversee it with attention to architectural details, quality, cost, and schedule. Christopher's personal involvement connects the homeowner's priorities with the people doing the work.
Questions worth asking
Whoever you hire, it is reasonable to ask how the team behind the work will be chosen. The answers tell you a great deal about how the design will be protected once construction begins.